Record 60% of Europeans ‘tend not to trust’ EU

The number of Europeans who distrust the European Union has doubled over the past six years to a record high, with bailed-out Greeks and Cypriots having the least faith in the bloc, according to a new Eurobarometer poll.

An economic crisis, record unemployment and five eurozone bailouts have taken their toll on the standing of the European Union that last year was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but is increasingly viewed as an overbearing, cumbersome bureaucracy.

Sixty percent of Europeans "tended not to trust the EU", according to Eurobarometer, a public opinion service of the European Commission, which released its spring findings this week.

That compares to the 32% level of distrust reported in early 2007 before the onset of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis and the ensuing euro zone debt crisis.

Cyprus, which was bailed out earlier this year in a controversial rescue that forced losses on wealthy depositors, showed the most distrust of the European Union at 83%.

In Greece, which is suffering from an economic depression and where painful job and spending cuts have been ordered by the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank, the level of distrust was 80%.

Britons also showed steadily growing disillusionment, with 68% of citizens saying they had little confidence in the bloc of 500 million citizens that London joined four decades ago. Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed Britain hold a vote by 2017 on whether to leave.

Britain's support for the euro, the single currency shared by 17 EU nations and of which Britain is not a member, was also the lowest in the bloc at 15%.

Almost half of all Europeans said that they were pessimistic about the future of the 28-nation Union, the poll found, up from a quarter in late 2007.

That marks a worrying trend for a bloc designed around an ideal of "ever greater union" to deepen the benefits of cooperation in areas ranging from trade to health and the rule of law, and as European influence wanes in the world.

Elections to the European Parliament next May could see a surge in anti-EU parties and Britain's Eurosceptic party, UKIP, believes it can win the largest share of British votes.

In April, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned of "political extremes and populism tearing apart the political support and the social fabric" of Europe and called for unity, but many citizens see EU institutions as pernicious and overbearing in national public life.

The Eurobarometer poll was carried out between 10 May and 26 May and interviewed 32,694 people across the European Union.

It is easy for Mr Barroso to blame others, but we the citizens where do we stand, were are we taking part in EU affers. We find tailered suits ready for us, if we like them or not we have to fit in them.
How much are our goverments are willing to inform the people about the EU. Before joining we were promised heaven on earth, now not even a single flyer.As a mater of fact, we are worse then before joining.The topics of the days are local politics, religion, and advertizing, meaning the those who advertize are in a bad situation, otherwise who will spend if he is doing well.Even the Eu MEP’s are not interested, when ever they write, their articles are about local politics to support their party.

Don’t worry, I am sure you can carry on ignoring us; you have been doing so for years after all. It is crystal clear you know so much better that the rest of us and will continue to conduct yourselves accordingly. The euro is perhaps the greatest example of how you were right and the tiresome individuals who warned of the inevitable consequences (Bernard Connolly springs to mind) were so wrong.

Cyprus and Greece would beyond any doubt have gone down had it not been for the bailouts. It is interesting that the population in these countries have not realised that the very EU they now critisize is their life-line – and will be for some time to come. As for bureaucracy, it is Member States themselves which by adopting the Lisbon Treaty have created some rather inefficient legislative and other mechanisms which officials are now struggling to make the best possible use of. In particular, the relations between the EEAS (European External Action Service) and the rest of the system are to say the least unclear. As for the UK, they should either leave the EU or stay and be constructive – but they will never come out with a clear message as they prefer to eat and have their cake at the same time, and will thereby most likely continue to be a destructive element in the furtehr development of the EU.

Some figures for you before you get too happy about how the EU has saved Greece etc.

At the point of the collapse of the banking sector Icelandic debt was 9.553trillion krona, GDP was 1.293trillion. Debt was therefore 738%. (Figures from Statistics Iceland 11/09/2008). Greek debt as percentage of GDP reached a maximum of 170.3% in December 2011 (these and subsequent figures from Eurostat) and is currently 160.5%, Ireland is at 125.1% (and still rising, up 18% in the last quarter), Spain 85.3%, Italy 126.1% and Portugal 123.6%.

Iceland outside the helpful embrace of the EU acted in the interests of its citizens rather than the financiers who acted as if their high return investments came without risk. They protected domestic depositors and refused to pass the debts incurred by the investors onto the local tax payers, much to the anger of the UK and The Netherlands amongst others. They defaulted on their debts and then went on to devalue their currency by approximately 50%. Painful for the Icelanders without doubt, but pain which they calculated would be relatively short lived.

So today we find Iceland has an unemployment level of 5.5%, compared with the EZ at 12.2% and the EU 11%, with Spain and Greece at a truly horrific 26.8%. Iceland had growth of 1.6% last year, in the EZ -0.6%, EU -0.4%, Spain -1.4 and Greece -4.2%. Indeed Iceland has had growth since 2011, if only the same could be said for the EZ / EU. What would the Club Med countries say about figures like this?

Finally on the 9th June 2011 (less than 3 years after the collapse) Iceland returned to the international bond market, selling $1bn worth of bonds at 4.875%. Essentially their situation has stabilised, they have hope and matters are progressing. Anyone see the same situation in the EU periphery countries ?

It is entirely possible to argue that the steps taken by the EU / ECB and IMF together with the manic desire to keep the euro zone together regardless of the damage it does to ordinary people has done much to create and exacerbate the problems in many countries. Indeed the IMF came extremely close to accepting just such an accusation in relation to Greece on 5th June 2013 (http://stage9.euractiv.com/euro-finance/imf-sorry-greek-crisis-handling-news-528355 )

As to the UK, I agree absolutely, let’s have a vote and settle down to a simple trading arrangement with the rest of the EU to the mutual benefit of both parties, but without the political aspirations of the remainder of the EU.

Iwantout,
There is a huge difference between Iceland on the one hand and Greece and Cyprus on the other. Iceland is a well organised Nordic country which can mobilise the moral and political resources to get out of a difficult situation. Greece and Cyprus are countries suffering from severe mismanagement and rampant corruption and would be completely unable to do what Iceland has done. As to the UK, I think that one of the issues underneath the official debate is a wish to protect City in London, which is the main promoter of tax free schemes for companies such as Starbucks and Amazon, with serious distortion of competition as a result. This matter will need to be addressed – with or without the UK – unless we want a handful of internationals to control the world and become ever more wealthy to the detriment of democracy and the situation for ordinary people.

The well organised, disciplined Nordic country ran up debts of 738% of GDP, something no other country has managed. The debt amounted to 170,650 euro per person as compared to 32,824 euro for Greece. You describe Iceland as being able to “mobilise the moral and political resources to get out of a difficult situation” and implicitly doubt the ability of Greece and Cyprus (and presumably the other crisis countries) to do so. While Iceland did prosecute and convict bankers and even the Prime Minister, that was punishment of those responsible for the mess, it did not of itself start solving the problem.

Iceland has the benefit of being able to manage its own affairs, to default and devalue and become competitive again, something the euro countries have surrendered. Instead the euro countries put in place legally binding treaties to make sure they all complied with the regulations necessary to avoid catastrophic economic problems. Oh, but then those very same countries (only one of which ever actually met all the requirements which would have allowed them to join the currency – and that one was not even Germany) broke all the rules and suffered no sanction. Germany and France of course led the charge in terms of breaking the limits they had previously agreed to.

I would agree that several countries in the EU are suffering from endemic corruption and mismanagement; this has always been the case. The corruption and mismanagement was widely known about but ignored by those in power as inconvenient facts that should not be allowed to get in the way of the grand project so beloved by the elite, the very same elite who 60% of people now don’t trust and we are supposed to be surprised.

Please could you explain why anyone should have faith in a group whose blind personal and political ambition has over ridden basic economics (and they were repeatedly warned by so many even before the currency was launched) and has no credible plan to resolve the current crisis. The current crisis and the EU answers have a very great deal in common with the Argentinian financial collapse and subsequent response of the 1990s – 2000’s; and we all know how well that worked out for the Argentinians. Yet despite that clear example, this is the route chosen by the EU.

Finally let us not forget that these same leaders totally lack any democratic mandate for their actions.

Tackling the taxation tricks of large corporations is of course of interest to everyone. I doubt you will find many this side of the Channel who would support Starbucks etc. But this will have to be dealt with on a wider stage than the EU, after all there are many countries in Europe that are not in the EU. Given that membership of the EU is obviously not required to address this issue. But I fail to see how this impacts on the clear lack of public faith in the EU.

I genuinely wish all our European friends the very best in overcoming their problems, if only because it would help us as well. But the reality is the EU has never demonstrated any ability to deal with difficult issues, not least because of the total lack of a European demos.

Reading the results of the Eurobarometer, the headline of this article is pretty shocking. That relates to only one of many indicators and there are many others that could have been picked for the headline. This is a headline I would have expected in the Daily Telegraph, not in EURACTIV.

The EU was a totally insane project from the start. You can have FREE TRADE, but that doesn’t require ANY political integration – on the contrary: forced uniformity destroys the very reason which makes trade so interesting.

Switzerland just signed a free trade agreement with China and now with Thailand. Neither side forced the other to adapt to their own norms. That’s not how it works.

Switzerland, from 1291 to 1848, was just a loose association of cantons who had mutual defense pacts. That was really all that was required.

To this day, the political and economic differences between cantons are bigger than what the EU would like to see between EU countries.

Switzerland and Norway stayed out of the EU and guess which countries do best, in Europe?

Correct: Switzerland and Norway!

All those idiots who wanted to push Switzerland into the EU, threatening “stagnation”, “isolation” and “economic collapse” have grown totally silent, since the EU has an average of 12% unemployment, with youth unemployment of 24% in Sweden, 25% in France, 48% in Spain and 52% in Greece … vs 3% for Switzerland, for both, youth and overall unemployment!

The Euro totally collapsed against the Swiss Franc and would probably be at 60 Swiss Cents if the traitors in the National Bank had not agreed to weaken our currency to prop up the Euro, creating 1 Swiss GDP (500 billion CHF) in fresh currency, out of thin air.

The main reason the EU asked Switzerland to copy their catastrophic inflation is to prevent EU citizens from realizing the true extend of wealth destruction caused by the socialist and communitarian policies that are being pushed by the ruling class throughout the continent.

Ultimately, the EU is a direct copy of the system of the USSR:

– there is the “elected” parliament, which has no power and no importance whatsoever. They are just parasitic drones who decide nothing.

– the true power lies with the unelected commissars, who are like the politburo, and the council of ministers, who impose the political program of the EU.

So basically, the EXECUTIVE of the various member countries create the laws of the EU, which are then imposed on the parliaments of the member countries, which represents a complete destruction of the principle of the separation of powers!

The Executive is NOT supposed to have the slightest influence on the legislative process.

So basically, the EU has created a de facto dictatorship, a rule by a small group of executive politicians.

And we see the entire catastrophe unleashed by this breach of the most elementary rules of parliamentarian governments.

In Switzerland, the people retain the power, through direct democracy. They could impose a SPENDING LIMIT in 2005, thanks to which government had to reduce its spending and even reduce its debt level.

Numerous referenda at the canton level imposed tax reductions, too. Not a single tax reduction ever caused the slightest harm, on the contrary – EVERY tax reduction was followed by positive outcomes, ONLY positive outcomes.

But never expect government to agree to a voluntary tax reduction.

The entire system throughout Europe needs a radical change, starting with a massive reduction of government at ALL levels. And the totally useless level is the EU.

It can be ENTIRELY abolished without even the slightest negative consequence for anyone – except the parasites who are milking the EU tax payers right now, of course.